Dorado promotes safe sex

By Rebecca Ireland

Safe sex kits are rolling out in the Wellness Center, thanks wholly to CVHS senior Zoe Dorado.

Since September, Dorado has been collaborating with the CVHS Wellness Center to make sure that the school acknowledges and cares about students’ sexual health. She has been working every Thursday to pack brown paper bags with two condoms, a packet of lube, a condom information sheet, and a “Don’t Panic” guide curated by Dorado. The condom packets, lube, and info sheets were donated by the Alameda County Department of Public Health HIV STI Unit. In December, Dorado got CVHS club She’s the First involved, and in one day they made about 100 packs.

“CVHS is one of only four out of 31 Alameda County high schools which doesn’t provide reproductive health services at its health center, according to the California School Based Health Alliance.” Dorado wrote. She began combating the issue back in May through two articles for The Olympian, “Trojans in search of condoms” and the follow-up, “CVHS discusses its culture around sex: ‘A conversation for everybody.’”

Following her groundbreaking articles, Dorado reached out to Dot Theodore, then school board president, who referred her to the Director of Student Services and Title IX Coordinator, Nicholas McMaster, to request the change. On June 22, board policy 5141.25: Availability of Condoms was approved in CVUSD, and Dorado began contacting local pharmacies for information regarding if and where they had emergency contraceptives for her “Don’t Panic” guide.

According to the Wellness Center Behavioral Health Services Coordinator, Marian Meadows, “it was important to know that student health and wellness was a priority of the district and that we had the